Until We Meet Again
"Until We Meet Again" is the second episode of season 1. Picking up where "The Girls of Madison" left off, Aubrey's reason for running away again is revealed. In addition, Chrissy is prepped for release. Najwa's problems keep adding up when she can't find a family to adopt her. Paige nearly loses her cool with girls who don't wait their turn in line. Jacie, having taken another job, tearfully says goodbye to the girls she's bonded with for months on end. Synopsis Aubrey's foiled heroics The episode begins where the previous one left off: with exploring Aubrey having cut her screen to her window and run away a short time after her release from Madison. It's revealed that she hitched a ride to visit her friend Brienna in Michigan City, about 13-15 miles or so from her grandparents' home in Chesterton. Brienna was involved in a domestic dispute, presumably with a homeowner who was on drugs according to Aubrey. The man threatened Brienna's life, and Brienna escaped the man and his house by smashing a window and fleeing into the streets. Brienna somehow contacted Aubrey behind the Wilson family's backs, and begged for Aubrey to come to her rescue. Aubrey made a heroic effort to save her friend; but the effort was thwarted when the aggressive homeowner called police to report the broken window. It is left unclear if the man ever faced charges for threatening and hurting Brienna. However, Brienna was revealed to have been a runaway, presumably from a bad home. For this, and possibly for other unstated reasons, she had a warrant out for her arrest. Michigan City police quickly catch up to Aubrey and Brienna, and encircle the block to contain them. Brienna is interrogated on the spot about what happened, but is arrested by reason of having an outstanding warrant for being a runaway. Robin, Aubrey's grandmother, receives a call from Aubrey and heads straight to the location given. She finds Aubrey distraught over failure to rescue her best friend. Aubrey recalls that she was also threatened by Michigan City police; but was let off with a warning due to being off parole. Robin warns Aubrey that such risk-taking and association with bad crowds could lead to Aubrey's luck running out in the future. Aubrey confesses that immediately upon returning home, lowlifes from "the hood" came back into her life, to try to lure her back down the road to darkness. She recounts to the film crew about her struggles to overcome addiction to drugs and alcohol. She states that she has no further interest in associating with "gangbangers," yet is apprehensive that they won't leave her alone. She complains that she has "no good friends left." Her complaints become particularly emotional when she mentions feeling abandoned by her mother - who was at the time of the interview recently released from a halfway house. Aubrey's father is given no mention, implying he was never serious about being part of her life. Her mother is revealed to have drug problems - possibly influencing Aubrey to have drug problems similarly. Many parting ways Najwa Pollard shares her story of running away, drinking, experimenting with drugs, and the abusive father that she claims is responsible. She also cites a wish to contact her grandparents - or anyone else - that will let her return home. She doesn't trust her father, and feels her mother has abandoned her. She points to other siblings of hers, whom she argues are treated far more kindly at home. Najwa and Heidi proceed to discuss counselor Jacie Minnick, whom they describe as a wise, "motherly" figure willing to hear them out regarding all their frustrations with life. The girls express their concerns for how much they will miss Jacie, as she is transferring to another job and leaving Madison after having spent five years working there and forming close bonds with many of the girls present. The recreation room is mentioned next, where Galipeau explains that the girls get at least an hour of recreation room time a day in order to alleviate "pent-up stress and anxiety." Heidi starts complaining that she and Paige McAtee weren't getting along. Chrissy, meanwhile, explains her plan for self-reform and a new self-image. Her case manager, Les Howard, informs her that she'll be placed on house arrest for a time upon her release. The case for fragrance spheres Back in Chesterton, Aubrey gets in an argument with Robin over her scented candle going missing. Robin insists that Aubrey can have her candle back when she learns to be responsible with it, and not leave it burning while she goes running off on some misguided quest to save her friends from problems they cause for themselves. This angers Aubrey greatly, as she feels violated by having her candle taken away. A title card explains that four months after her final interview with the camera crew, Aubrey had slipped back into her old drug addiction habits. She was sent to a different juvenile center to deal with her drug problems. Financier, baker, candlestick maker Back at the juvie, Paige debates what her career ambitions could be. She discusses baking as a career path; but worries that she'll be horrible at cupcakes. From there on out, Paige begins to overestimate her popularity level. Heidi claims to generally get along with her; but Brianna claims to find her annoying. Paige claims her past of robbery was due to "boredom" primarily; but that she's determined to find smarter ways to fight her boredom than by turning to crime. After overhearing a conversation about herself between Frazer and a different girl, Paige snaps - landing herself at risk for a juvenile conduct report ("JCR.") Frazer gives her a chance, but she protests too much. Frazer responds by telling the film crew that Paige "has the mind of a 14-year-old." More about Najwa As Spirit Week approaches, Minnick's last day also approaches. She celebrates for the girls by making her hair into a "Bob Ross Happy Tree" - which some could argue looks more like Cindy-Lou Who. Hawkins shows off his pink Irish "marijuana socks." Najwa discusses how she is able to get along so well with the staff, saying they always seem to know what she needs to discuss with them at any given moment. She goes over with Jacie her plans to find a new family in some "Henderson Apartments." Minnick informs Najwa that the best course of action is to attempt to locate her grandparents; as neither of her parents are deemed suitable to take care of her. She elaborates further, reading a diary with passages of letters directed to her mom - whom she claims to always love in spite the neglect and failure she's faced. Chrissy about to face real life again As Chrissy gets ready for release, other girls talk about what she brought to their lives there that they feel they'll miss. She almost gets in trouble again for playfully smacking another girl's forehead. The swingset is revealed to be poorly secured to the ground. She later expresses to Minnick that she feels uneasy about leaving behind the new friends she's made. Chrissy's graduation photo with her family is shared with the audience by Minnick, as Chrissy explains that she feared graduation day would never come. Minnick admits it was an emotional moment for her too. Chrissy shares more of her story, and of how her mother emphasized to her that she should make a better effort to avoid street life. Minnick hands Chrissy her goodbye letter on demand; and Chrissy responds that reading it makes her feel "like a baby." Minnick informs Chrissy that it's "okay to cry;" but Chrissy insists on maintaining her tough girl act. Tier what, now? Girls' behavior often leads to modifications to their tier ranking at the facility, as is explained in the section after Chrissy's. A girl with a 100% or higher conduct and performance score is ranked as a "Tier 1." A Tier 2 is one with a 90-99% score. Tier 3 is anyone with an 80-89% score. Below 80% leads to no tier ranking - and thus, no special perks. According to Minnick, girls "not making tier" have to "be trying to not make tier." In other words, have to be going out of their way to misbehave. Meanwhile, one of the girls leaves a note on Chrissy's new seat in the lobby, congratulating her on earning a promotion to that seat. A chart is provided for girls to request a different lobby seat, as seats for them in the lobby are assigned in advance. ''Heidi v. Paige: Dawn of Pettiness'' Heidi accuses Paige of being a habitual liar, and of feigning hearing problems. (It could have been just poor quality audio on the old TV set being used in the lobby.) The two girls bicker over a seating position. Paige accuses Heidi of being an immature brat and a bully. Armani vs. a tennis ball It's tennis day in the rec room, and Armani Buckner claims that black girls don't play tennis. Everyone cracks up. She complains that her weight - and overheating, are affecting her ability to perform at the game; but others accuse her of being lazy. Najwa discusses the ever-shifting nature of her plan to find a new home. A guard tries explaining to her that renting her own apartment isn't possible, given her age. Edrington argues that Najwa is "in denial" of the gravity of her situation, because she can't bear the truth of her impossible dilemma. Welcome to Trigger-assic Park In the computer lab, Najwa and Faith debate her maturity level while cracking up. The lab director threatens to "write paperwork all day long" if Najwa doesn't stay focused on the lab assignments. The guards don't think it's funny, and start triggering her into a blow-up about her placement. She reminds them that without a placement, juvenile conduct reports are meaningless. She explains to the film crew that the others' eager talking about placements in front of her sparks envy and jealousy in her, resulting in her feeling that they're being insensitive to her predicament. Crawley gets triggered over Najwa's misuse of the term "bro." Najwa feels antagonized by Crawley reminding everyone that she "might have to be there another Christmas." Crawley is more concerned about how Najwa's pounding is not healthy for the table. Catching a Minnick upstream A segment of the "Why Try" curriculum segment is then featured, in which Minnick gives her farewell address to the girls. She reminds them of what it means to be an "agent of change." Hawkins explains to viewers that "Why Try" is primarily about showing girls what it means to be a success, and getting them to bond with successes so they will pattern themselves after something other than failure. Minnick attempts to remind the girls that they instinctively know they were meant to live lives of purpose. She encourages the girls to all give her a group hug one last time, though some of them are more comfortable with the idea of it than others. Heidi grows particularly emotional about it; as she feels that Minnick's cheerful spirit is contagious. When pushed to explain further, Heidi elaborates that Minnick gives Heidi a sense of worth that she doesn't feel around anyone else. Chrissy compliments Minnick on "not giving up" on her, even when she believes anyone else would have. Minnick's predecessor, Hays, is mentioned. The girls who grew attached to Hays were uneasy about having to bond to someone else; but state that Minnick more than surpassed her predecessor. Brianna was especially affected in this way. Minnick elaborates that she'd "grown as an individual" by being at Madison, and was grateful to have met the girls she met. She tearfully says goodbye some more. Her parting shot is followed by some scenes of the Milton-Madison Bridge, and an end-of-day montage. No one believes in lines The girls are so eager to see their rankings, that they find it difficult to do so. No one believes in waiting their place in line, as if they have to cut or they won't know where they place, as if they'll be forgotten. Paige explains that she needs to make a tier, or else she'll have time added to her sentence. She also expresses frustration with other girls getting in her way when she's trying to view her information, wishing they'd learn to stay in their place in line. The guards crack down on Paige for snapping at a few of the other girls for being rude. Nott, Minnick's replacement, assures Paige that she can come back at a later time for her info, and has nothing to worry about. When Paige finally gets a chance to get to the bottom of things, Nott flat-out tells her that her propensity to argue with everyone is at the root of her failure to make tier. Essentially, even if they're flat-out dead wrong, guards don't like being argued with. And Paige doth protest too much. Paige hates being pushed around and taken advantage of, and leaves the room believing that the staff knows this is happening - and worse, believing that they don't care. Nott, who does not have an emotional bond with the girls like Minnick had, proves to have little patience with Paige. Not a good sign for a counselor. As Paige leaves, another guard stands there, with a look on her face of "what did I just witness?" - as if unsure of whose side to be on. Finally Paige explains that she's been "holding her tongue in" for ages, and is ready to blow her top at a few girls for their incessant, inconsiderate stupidity. Chrissy goes free A calendar on the wall reveals that filming is happening in March of 2017, making the show's release date a full year after events depicted in it actually happened. Chrissy empties out her tote, revealing she has a copy of The Action Bible. (How often she reads it is anyone's guess.) Chrissy finally gets released, to accolades, apparently. However, she recounts how angry and prone to stealing cars she used to be. She shows determination to set constructive goals for herself - such as attending college. Granted, she apparently wasn't given the full rundown on how difficult college enrollment could be. She was filled with positive thinking at Madison; but apparently still lacked operational thinking, as her college goals never materialized. She argued that she would have a tough time against peer pressure to revert to her old ways; yet she insisted she was "never going back" to who she was before. (Although that later proved not to be the case.) Heidi states that she'll miss Chrissy's crazy antics. Never too dull a moment? Finally, the episode ends with the girls outdoors relaxing and conversing. Their peace is shattered when they hear a loud fight break out inside one of the units, and everyone becomes curious. Guards rush in to find out who's fighting - and why. Featured cast Emphasized inmates * Aubrey Wilson * Paige McAtee * Chrissy Hutchinson * Najwa Pollard Staff featuring * John Galipeau * Officer Lewis * Jacie Minnick * Pamela Nott, who replaces Jacie Minnick after she gets a new job * Captain Crawley * Sgt. Frazer * Tim Hawkins, the science teacher for Promise High School * Officer Distel * Sgt. Edrington * Ms. Ison, a teacher at Promise High School * Tonya McCubbins-Bray, a teacher at Promise High School Guest stars * Ron Wilson, Aubrey's grandfather * Robin Wilson, Aubrey's grandmother * Heather Wilson, Aubrey's aunt * Brienna, Aubrey's best friend from Michigan City. * Najwa's father (mentioned) * Najwa's mother (mentioned) * Najwa's brothers (mentioned) * Les Howard, Chrissy's case manager / probation officer, whom Chrissy believes "will be a cool guy." * Stephanie Hutchinson, Chrissy's sister * Chrissy's mother Music In addition to carrying over songs used in "The Girls of Madison," this episode features "What's Gone Will Never Leave" off the Extreme Music album Folk Electronica 2. Also identified is "Hype Yaself" by Will Spitwell. TuneFind. References See also * The Girls of Madison * Mean Girls * Aubrey Wilson * Chrissy Hutchinson * Paige McAtee * Jacie Minnick Category:Season 1 episodes